Regus offers temporary Bridgeport office space

By Hugh Bailey

Published 4:50 pm, Monday, August 24, 2015

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From left, Donna Paolini, general manager of Regus in Bridgeport; Bridgeort Mayor Bill Finch; U.S. Rep. Jim Himes; and Deb Caviness, director of the city's small and minority business resource office, and others cut the ribbon at Regus' new Bridgeport office on Lafayette Boulevard on Monday. less

From left, Donna Paolini, general manager of Regus in Bridgeport; Bridgeort Mayor Bill Finch; U.S. Rep. Jim Himes; and Deb Caviness, director of the city's small and minority business resource office, and ... more

The conference room at Regus Office Center in Stamford. The company opened a Bridgeport facility this year.

The conference room at Regus Office Center in Stamford. The company opened a Bridgeport facility this year.

Photo: ST

Regus offers temporary Bridgeport office space

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Regus, the international company that offers short-term, amenity-laden office space, has locations throughout the U.S. and several in Connecticut, but officials said they weren’t initially sure about Bridgeport.

“The city has got that stigma,” said Donna Paolini, general manager at the company’s new location in downtown Bridgeport. “But we’ve done OK. It’s been so much better that I thought it would be.”

Regus opened on Jan. 1, but had several grand-opening ceremonies put off by snow. The company ultimately decided to push the occasion off until summer, and local dignitaries gathered Monday to welcome the company.

“The city has made such progress in the last 10 years, and this is another remarkable thing,” said Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, who took part in the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The company offers furnished office space with access to a lounge area and conference room plus high-speed Internet, voice mail, video-conferencing capabilities and more. Staff members are on hand during business hours for administrative purposes.

Regus, based in the United Kingdom, has 3,000 locations in the U.S., including in Westport, Norwalk, Shelton and Stamford. A Danbury location is planned, as well.

In the Bridgeport office, which takes up the entire 11th floor at 1000 Lafayette Blvd., space starts at $300 a month and goes up to $900. Adjacent offices are also available for larger companies in search of a temporary home, for periods of one month up to three years. The space is about half full.

Membership also means companies can go to any of the company’s other locations and use available space for the day, Paolini said.

Regus appeals to a variety of businesses, including startups, companies whose headquarters are undergoing renovations or anyone managing through a transition, she said.

Claudine Howard, president of C.A. Howard & Associates, said the space works well for her two-person operation that provides contract compliance services. “It’s excellent, and it’s affordable,” she said. “And it has all the amenities anyone could want.”

Howard said her company’s work with the city makes the location convenient. “Our needs are small, and we saw that this was perfect for us,” she said.

Around the corner on Fairfield Avenue is another company that provides temporary office space called B:Hive Bridgeport. But while B:Hive has an open floor plan with desks interspersed with couches, a ping-pong table and bicycles on offer for getting around town, Regus’ feel is decidedly more corporate.